Improvement in machines for crushing the stems of tobacco-leaves



a. P. UNVERZ AGT. Machines for Crushing the Stems of Tobacco-Leaves. N0-.156,-60 8. Paten tedNov.3,'1874.

wl'ruzssts naw/4494M? UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

GEORGE P. UNVERZAGT, OE BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR CRUSHING THE STEMS 0F TOBACCO-LEAVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 156,608, dated November 3, 1874; application filed September 1, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen P. UNvER- ZAGT, of Baltimore city, in the State of Maryland, have invented a certain new and useful process and apparatus for preparing leaf-tobacco for use without stripping or removing the stem; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for treating the leaf-tobacco of commerceflto increase its value for the purpose of bunching in the making of cigars.

The improvement I have made in such apparatus consists in the combination of a springadjusting device with bars carrying the scrapers for the rollers, for a purpose to be set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of my improved machine for laminating tobacco-stems; and Fig. 2, a vertical cross-section, taken at the line as w of Fig. 1.

My machine is composed of two metal rolls, A, which have their bearings in standards B, motion being communicated to one roller, which in turn communicates it to the other by means of cog-gears 0 O, which are carried at one side of frame B by journals or of the rolls, the motion being induced by a handcrank or crank and drive-wheel, D, at the other end of. said frame. The rolls A have medial upset bands or collars b, for the purpose of bearing upon and crushing the stem introduced between them. These collars b are for the purpose of crushing the stem only, to render the ordinary leaf of commerce capable of being at once made into the bunch or filler for the cigar without undergoing the process of either booking or stripping, the former being unnecessary, and the latter avoided. On each side of these collars b there is thus formed an intermediate space, 0, between the rolls, which permits the leaf to emerge untouched, except at the stem where desired. The rolls A are made adjustable as to their distance apart by clamps F. Upon the side of the frame from which the tobacco-leaf emerges are two bars, G G, which are journaled in the standards at c c, and carry converging pieces H H, which are caused to bear in a yielding manner against the collars b of the rolls, said yielding bearing action being produced by means of the spring-adjusting device I, communicating with the journals of the bars G; and, when the screw 1 of this spring-adjusting device I is manipulated, the

pieces H upon the bars approach and bear upon or recede, as the case may be, from the collars 1), increasing or decreasing their bearing force. A continuous bearing yielding action of said pieces is thus produced, and the wear of the parts in contact avoided, as would be the case were the bearing rigid. S aid pieces Fl are of hard metal, and converge from their carrying-bars G toward the collars b of the rollers, and serve as guides to the leaf, and of scrapers to the collars. The yielding action of the parts, however, is only to such an extent as to prevent a too-rigid contact.

I claim- The combination of the spring-adjusting device I, bars G, and guides and scrapers H, as described, for the purpose of impartin g a yielding contact between the scrapers and crushing-collars.

GEORGE P. UNVERZAGT. Witnesses:

FRANK A. TORMEY, WM. H. BAYZAND. 

